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Mayoral choice narrows down to three women candidates

[email protected] (CD Network)
February 27, 2012

mcc

Mangalore, February 27: The tussle for the mayoral candidature within the Bharatiya Janata Party appears to have narrowed down to three contenders, as the Government has reserved the post of Mayor for the fifth year for a woman from Backward Class (A) category.

Sources within the ruling party of Mangalore City Corporation have confirmed that the city was all set to have another women Mayor.

The names of Corporators Surekha Srinivas (Central Market ward) from Ganiga caste, Roopa D. Bangera (Kadri North) from Kumbara caste, and Shantha R. (Panjimogaru) from Shettigar caste are doing the rounds as the front runners for the Mayoral post.

Although councillors Rajani Dugganna (Hosabettu) and Revathi K. (Surathkal West) qualify to contest, the party was unlikely to field them as Ms. Dugganna had already served as Mayor and Revathi as the chairperson of the Standing Committee for Taxation, Finance and Appeals.

The last three Mayors were from wards under Mangalore North Assembly constituency. They were Ganesh Hosabettu (Kulai ward), M. Shankar Bhat (Derebail East), and Rajani Dugganna (Hosabettu). Present Mayor Praveen represented Derebail South ward under Mangalore South Assembly Constituency.

The one-year term of present Mayor Praveen would end this month end. Next one year would be crucial for the BJP as the council of MCC would have to go for the polls in 2013 as the present five-year term of the council would come to an end in March, 2013, sources said.


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News Network
January 23,2026

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot read only three lines from the 122-paragraph address prepared by the Congress-led state government while addressing the joint session of the Legislature on Thursday, effectively bypassing large sections critical of the BJP-led Union government.

The omitted portions of the customary Governor’s address outlined what the state government described as a “suppressive situation in economic and policy matters” under India’s federal framework. The speech also sharply criticised the Centre’s move to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, commonly referred to as the VB-GRAM (G) Act.

Governor Gehlot had earlier conveyed his objection to several paragraphs that were explicitly critical of the Union government. On Thursday, he confined himself to the opening lines — “I extend a warm welcome to all of you to the joint session of the State legislature. I am extremely pleased to address this august House” — before jumping directly to the concluding sentence of the final paragraph.

He ended the address by reading the last line of paragraph 122: “Overall, my government is firmly committed to doubling the pace of the State’s economic, social and physical development. Jai Hind — Jai Karnataka.”

According to the prepared speech, the Karnataka government demanded the scrapping of the VB-GRAM (G) Act, describing it as “contractor-centric” and detrimental to rural livelihoods, and called for the full restoration of MGNREGA. The state government argued that the new law undermines decentralisation, weakens labour protections, and centralises decision-making in violation of constitutional norms.

Key points from the unread sections of the speech:

•    Karnataka facing a “suppressive” economic and policy environment within the federal system

•    Repeal of MGNREGA described as a blow to rural livelihoods

•    VB-GRAM (G) Act accused of protecting corporate and contractor interests

•    New law alleged to weaken decentralised governance

•    Decision-making said to be imposed by the Centre without consulting states

•    Rights of Adivasis, women, backward classes and agrarian communities curtailed

•    Labourers allegedly placed under contractor control

•    States facing mounting fiscal stress due to central policies

•    VB-GRAM (G) Act accused of enabling large-scale corruption

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